LAKEPORT, Calif. – The California Department of Public Health announced that consumers who have prescription drugs that are no longer needed or are expired can safely dispose of them on National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, Saturday, Oct. 26.

The Lakeport Police Department will host a dropoff event on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its office, 2025 South Main St.

Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said the Saturday event will further his department’s efforts since January to help remove unused or expired dangerous drugs from homes in the community. So far this year, 248 pounds of drugs have been turned in at the department.

Lakeport Police officers and evidence staff will be on site on Saturday to assist community members and offer educational materials.

Individuals bringing medications to the event will be required to check in with a department staff member so that we can verify that only acceptable items are being placed in the container.

All medications shall be in their original container, other suitable plastic pill container or sealed zip lock freezer bag. If the prescription medications are in the original container, they do recommend that persons remove their personal information from the label.

There is no cost for community members to dispose of medications at this take back event and police will not collect information on people disposing of them.

Items that will be accepted include all over-the-counter or prescription medication in pill, tablet or capsule form, including schedule II-V controlled and non-controlled substances.

They will not accept Illegal drugs, needles, liquids, inhalers or aerosol cans.

The DEA has also announced that in an effort to help combat the continued vaping health crisis across the country, vaping cartridges and devices without batteries now can be accepted at collection sites. Therefore the Lakeport Police Department will accept them as long as the batteries are in fact removed before being brought to the event.

Devices with non-removable batteries cannot be accepted due to their potential fire hazard. For disposal of these device types, local hazardous waste management facilities or large electronic chain stores can be contacted.

At Saturday’s collection event, the Lakeport Police Department will be joined by Lake County Behavioral Health – Partners In Opioid Prevention, whose staffers will offer educational materials on misuse and overdose of opioids, and SafeRx Lake County, which also will provide educational materials as well as Narcan Training and free Narcan kits.

At the conclusion of the Saturday collection event, Lakeport Police Officers will transport the drugs out of county to deliver them to DEA agents who will properly destroy them, by incineration, along with those collected by other police agencies across the United States.

Unused medications in homes create a public health and safety concern because they are highly susceptible to accidental ingestion, theft or misuse. The proper disposal of unused drugs protects the environment and helps save lives.

According to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6.4 million Americans abused controlled prescription drugs. The study shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.

During the National Prescription Drug Take-Back event in April, federal, state and local law enforcement partners across the country collected nearly 469 tons of unwanted prescription drugs. Californians disposed of more than 34 tons of unwanted drugs in that same event.